Ba-Koro Manuscript
The Ba-Koro Manuscript is a stone tablet containing a story that was unearthed near the village of Ba-Koro on the Southern Continent around 59,000 BGC. It is the oldest known piece of writing in the Matoran Universe, dating back to some time before 100,000 BGC. Story In the time before time, when this universe was still young, the Great Beings created two warriors to guard the Matoran, Mata Nui’s loyal subjects. One, the Sentinel of the Twin Suns wore armor with the radiance of a thousand stars. The other, the Paladin of the Eclipse was clad in armor as black as the darkest night. The two brothers fought many battles together, and their bond, it is said, was the only thing stronger than their combined power. But on one fateful day, the brothers were issued a command. Criminals had stolen a box containing an artifact of the Great Beings and they were ordered to retrieve it. When the two brothers apprehended the bandits, the Paladin of the Eclipse could not help but look inside the box. Inside was a lance, the tip hewn from pure protosteel and the shaft carved from a branch of the Silver Tree. Most magnificent of all, however, was the peculiar gemstone within the blade. The dark amethyst jewel let out a soft violet glow, and the two brothers found themselves drawn to it. It was beautiful, the most wondrous thing they had ever seen; as a result, they now desired it more than anything. But both of them knew that the other desired the gemstone too, and would try to take it for himself. And so, the brothers made up their minds then that they would murder the other and take the lance. The two brothers, once the best of friends, now the greatest of enemies, fought against each other in a mortal duel. For three days the brothers battled, the blinding light against the tearing shadows. At midnight on the third day, the Paladin of the Eclipse wrested the lance away. He let its power flow through him, and then he used that power against his brother, evaporating his body with a bolt of pure energy. The Sentinel of the Twin Suns was no more. His brother did not stop for one moment to think about what he had done. As soon as the killing blow was struck, the lance claimed him for its own and began to poison his mind. He realized that everybody else in the entire universe would desire the jewel too. And so, taking the lance in his hands, the Paladin of the Eclipse decided that he would kill every other living being, and keep the lance for himself. Thus began a time of great sorrow and death. Entire cities were left in ruin in the Paladin’s wake. The energy of the lance destroyed beings utterly, leaving no remains to be recovered. Entire species were pushed to the brink of extinction by the Paladin’s madness. The Paladin eventually came to the island of Kovokha Nui, a bustling center of enterprise and wealth. He laid waste to the island, and all were killed. All except for one. One solitary Matoran became trapped in the wreckage below the surface of the island. The Matoran’s will to survive burned with the strength of a raging fire. And so, Mata Nui saved the Matoran and granted it the power to fight back. And from the rubble where the Matoran had fallen, a new being emerged: A Toa, chosen by destiny for the purpose of ending the bloodshed. The Toa did raise their blade, and fight against the Paladin’s darkness. The Paladin was stronger in might, perhaps, but the Toa’s willpower dominated the Paladin’s insanity. The Toa knocked the lance from the hand of the Paladin, and gathered up all the energy that the surroundings could offer, And then used that energy to eradicate the Paladin of the Eclipse. All that remained was a single black Kanohi. The Toa lived on after that decisive confrontation. Nobody knows what became of them. It is said that the great battle took all of the life from the island, leaving Kovokha Nui a frozen wasteland. And in their icy prison, the mask and the cursed lance rest to this day, undisturbed. Analysis Scholars of all races across the Matoran Universe have debated the implications and meanings of the Ba-Koro Manuscript. For instance, some argue that the Sentinel and the Paladin mentioned in the story were among the first Toa, given their position as defenders of the Matoran. However, others point out that, even with an artifact of implied unimaginable power, one Toa on its own would not be able to cause such supposedly widespread destruction. In addition, the manuscript specifically mentions the third warrior as being a Toa, while not mentioning the first two as being a part of any specific species. Some say that this would suggest that the Sentinel of the Twin Suns and the Paladin of the Eclipse were not Toa at all, but rather something else entirely – perhaps an early prototype of the Makuta, given that this story could have taken place some time before the first Makuta was created. Another point often made is that the unnamed Toa must have had power over a high-energy element, such as fire, or lightning, in order to be able to gather energy and destroy the Paladin’s body. The line 'The Matoran's will to survive burned with the strength of a raging fire' would also point towards the Toa's element being fire. While the manuscript is generally accepted as myth and nothing more, there may be some grains of truth to the tale. One example is the violet gemstone embedded in the Cursed Lance. While there is no evidence of such a weapon ever having existed, there was a mysterious report, written around 30,000 BGC, about miners on an island in the Southern Island Chain unearthing a chamber filled with crystals, which bore a remarkable similarity to the gemstone mentioned in the story. According to the report, within hours of the cave being opened, almost every single miner who had seen the crystals went insane, attempting to kill each other almost completely unprovoked. The cave had to be sealed up, and is not known to have been opened ever since then. It is entirely possible that whoever wrote the story had heard of or even seen the cave and the crystals inside of it. However, it is also entirely possible that the mysterious report is a hoax. Another notable fact is how the story interweaves itself with other mythology. For example, a branch from the Silver Tree is mentioned as being used as the shaft of the Cursed Lance. This refers to the Tree of Artakha, a tree said to grow at the very heart of the island of Artakha. The Tree, true to its name, shines silver. Its branches are often said to be used by the master crafters of the island. The possible symbolic meaning of this story is also worth noting. The Matoran having such a will to survive and subsequently being turned into a Toa by Mata Nui are likely meant to give off the moral that as long as one stays strong and doesn’t give up, they will always succeed. The unnamed Toa’s willpower remains a major factor throughout the rest of the story, allowing them to triumph over the Paladin against all the odds. This further reinforces the assumed moral. It also provides an explanation as to why Kovokha Nui is a frozen wasteland. Mythology is rather notorious for creating fantastic explanations for scientific occurrences. As such, it is likely that the Manuscript is just a story, and not an account of actual events. Trivia *The original copy of the Ba-Koro Manuscript was kept in a lower level of the Metru Nui Archives. It is unknown what became of it after Metru Nui was invaded by Visorak. *Several copies have been made of the Ba-Koro Manuscript. One notable owner of such a copy is Romak.